HOME
by africayellowcat
Summary: The way the movie should have ended.


Faint voices could be heard, a soft beeping and muffled metallic sounds. Danny swam between lucidity and unconsciousness. It had been four weeks since the Doolittle raid. Four weeks since Danny had sustained four bullet wounds to the chest and abdomen. All he could remember of the flight back to Pearl Harbour was Rafe squeezing his hand and repeating like a mantra; 'Hold on Danny, Evelyn's waiting for you.'

His chest still felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. Only Danny didn't know just how close he had come to dying. When the Chinese doctors released him to fly home they did so with grim expressions and slumped shoulders. Clearly they felt they had done what they could for Captain Walker his fate now lay in the hands of the Western deity.

Somehow miraculously he survived the journey. A more rotund Evelyn waited nervously for the plane to touch down. She chewed her lip, clenched and unclenched her hands as she watched the small plane glide to a halt on the runway. A few moments later the door opened and Rafe stepped out, his eyes passing over her. He turned and reached back into the plane to help lift a stretcher out. Evelyn found her feet moving before she was aware of the intention to move. Reaching Rafe's side she gazed down and her breath caught in her throat. Danny lay motionless his face stark white, purplish rings circled his eyes and his lips were tinged a faint blue. Evelyn felt tears coursing down her face, she grasped his hand that lay like a wounded dove on top of the sheet covering him. His hand was so cold, so very cold.

'Danny….,' she began, not really sure how to finish her thought.

Before he and Rafe had flown out on the Doolittle raid, Evelyn still felt very torn. How could she decide between the two most important men she had in her life since her father died when she was five. Yet the moment she received the telegram from Rafe, telling her about Danny's injuries she knew where her heart lay. She would always care about Rafe but she had spent too many months getting over him when she thought he was dead. It was not possible to just switch back to the way she felt before he went to England. Danny had healed her wounded heart he loved her unquestioningly and devotedly. She also knew the night of the sunset flight and their lovemaking in the parachute hangar was without a doubt the most romantic night of her life. Evelyn also realized that Danny loved her enough to walk away if he believed she wanted Rafe. Rafe would never do the same his attitude of first come first served rankled her independent spirit. Evelyn had decided a very long time ago she would never be merely a man's trophy. She knew Danny would never see her that way.

His long dark eyelashes fluttered briefly in response to her squeezing his hand. Evelyn glanced up at Rafe to see him gazing at her sadly. Finally he shrugged slightly. Evelyn made a silent promise she would do everything in her power to help make Danny well.

'I love you, Danny,' she murmured finally and saw his eyelids flicker again. Evelyn gasped as she felt a very slight returning pressure on her hand.

She gazed up at Rafe in wonder her huge brown eyes brilliant with tears. He smiled at her and nodded. She knew somehow that Rafe had accepted his relationship with her was over. Evelyn moved forward and embraced Rafe, grateful for his care of Danny and his understanding of her.

Danny took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly opened his eyes. He realized he was in a hospital bed. Glancing over he saw a very pregnant Evelyn curled up sleeping in the uncomfortable looking armchair. Her face was flushed with sleep, beads of perspiration dotted her upper lip and her chestnut hair was tangled. Danny thought she had never looked more beautiful. He opened his mouth to speak and was shocked at how dry the inside of his mouth felt. How long had he been here? He glanced down and saw gauze bandaging emerging from the neck of his hospital gown. Evelyn stirred and opened her eyes. Realizing Danny was awake she beamed a smile and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek;

'Hi there,' she said softly.

Danny moved his mouth to speak then grimaced. Evelyn sensed his difficulty and pressed the buzzer sitting beside his bed.

'I need to ask the doctor if it is okay for you to drink yet'

Danny's eyes moved down from Evelyn's face to the distinctive curve of her abdomen. Evelyn saw an expression of wonder in his eyes she grasped his hand and rested it against her belly. A slow smile crossed his face, Evelyn could not resist leaning down to kiss him again. His delight at feeling the movements of their child reminded her of what an extraordinary gentle loving soul he had.

The door opened and a portly man in a white coat walked in. Thick horn-rim glasses and a bushy moustache completed his look of diffident authority. He bustled over to the bed a clipboard grasped tightly in his hand. He smiled at Danny, softening his features, making him much less intimidating;

'Captain Walker, how wonderful to see you awake,' he glanced up at Evelyn then back at Danny, 'you are a very lucky man Captain, your lovely young lady here has not left your side.'

Danny smiled, all of his fears about Evelyn's feelings for Rafe now seemed unwarranted. He felt a rush of relief and joy completely new to him. The difficulty of his childhood had caused Danny to erect walls around his heart. Only Rafe had ever been able to penetrate those walls. That was before Evelyn. He knew now that he could trust Evelyn with his entire heart. She would never betray him. She would never let him down. She had finally erased the belief that love and fear went hand in hand. His complicated relationship with his father had skewed his ideas about love. His deep friendship with Rafe had gone a long way toward healing this damage. But Evelyn's unconditional love gave him the strength to finally put the past behind him. It gave him the confidence to believe that to the most important person in his life he was a hero.

A week later Danny went home. Home now was the small house he and Evelyn had rented. It was the home that would house their family. Laughing together they decorated the nursery. Danny knew he would never go back to Tennessee. His life was here now. His love, his home, his centre of gravity. It all came from Evelyn.

**THE END**


End file.
